According to data from the Icelandic Transport Authority the number of foreign travellers involved in car accidents continues to grow. In the first six months of 2015 143 foreign travellers were injured in car crashes in Iceland, compared to 85 during the first six months of 2014. The number foreign travellers injured in car accidents in Iceland has risen in the past years. In 2012 193 foreign traveller was injured in a car accident in Iceland, 210 in 2013 and 231 in 2014. This year the figure will likely be still higher.
The most likely reason for the high number of accidents involving foreign travellers is that they are unfamiliar with driving in Icelandic conditions which include loose gravel, narrow shoulders and sharing the road with livestock. Another reason, according to Sævar Helgi Lárusson, a specialist at the Icelandic Transport Authority, is that foreign travellers are less likely to use seatbelts than Icelandic motorists.
Foreign travellers more likely to lose control of their vehicles
Sævar Helgi told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service that the most common cause of fatal car accidents involving foreign travellers is that the driver loses control of the vehicle when one wheel goes onto the gravel on the shoulder. As the motorist tries to correct the course he overcompensates, losing control of the car which turns over and cascades off the road. Sævar Helgi argued that when passengers or the driver are not in seatbelts these accidents are likely to result in serious injuries or fatalities.
The road network not built for tourism
The Icelandic Road administration must respond this development, Sævar Helgi argues. The increasing traffic and changes in traffic patterns due to increased tourism have created new needs authorities must respond to.
He pointed out that foreign travellers frequently stop their cars on the road shoulder to take photos or enjoy the view, something Icelanders have rarely done. This, he argues, has created a need for more stopping places along the roads, where motorists can safely stop their cars and get off the road.
According to data from the Icelandic Transport Authority the number of foreign travellers involved in car accidents continues to grow. In the first six months of 2015 143 foreign travellers were injured in car crashes in Iceland, compared to 85 during the first six months of 2014. The number foreign travellers injured in car accidents in Iceland has risen in the past years. In 2012 193 foreign traveller was injured in a car accident in Iceland, 210 in 2013 and 231 in 2014. This year the figure will likely be still higher.
The most likely reason for the high number of accidents involving foreign travellers is that they are unfamiliar with driving in Icelandic conditions which include loose gravel, narrow shoulders and sharing the road with livestock. Another reason, according to Sævar Helgi Lárusson, a specialist at the Icelandic Transport Authority, is that foreign travellers are less likely to use seatbelts than Icelandic motorists.
Foreign travellers more likely to lose control of their vehicles
Sævar Helgi told the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service that the most common cause of fatal car accidents involving foreign travellers is that the driver loses control of the vehicle when one wheel goes onto the gravel on the shoulder. As the motorist tries to correct the course he overcompensates, losing control of the car which turns over and cascades off the road. Sævar Helgi argued that when passengers or the driver are not in seatbelts these accidents are likely to result in serious injuries or fatalities.
The road network not built for tourism
The Icelandic Road administration must respond this development, Sævar Helgi argues. The increasing traffic and changes in traffic patterns due to increased tourism have created new needs authorities must respond to.
He pointed out that foreign travellers frequently stop their cars on the road shoulder to take photos or enjoy the view, something Icelanders have rarely done. This, he argues, has created a need for more stopping places along the roads, where motorists can safely stop their cars and get off the road.
